Comic Book Review Powers Activate! Wonder Twins #1!

“Superman and Batman having girl problems?! Thunderlust. It’s funny. To some people…”

Today’s review is a special one, because its feature characters are finally (didn’t ask for it), getting their own series (mini). That book would be Wonder Twins #1! Yay! Honestly when I first heard that this series was in production I immediately dismissed it. I’ve never been a fan of the “Wonder Twins”, and apparently neither has the rest of the world. Lately I’ve noticed they have been the subject of some popular memes, but they have been made fun of even longer than that. That being said, everyone deserves a fair shake, so I opened my mind and dove into the world of the “Wonder Twins”.

STORY

The “Wonder Twins” series is being released under the “Wonder Comics” umbrella. For those that don’t know, this group of books are more geared toward the “younger” reader. Throughout this entire book it is clear who the target demographic is. Although I would be considered a millennial by textbook definition, I was born right on the fringe of it, this causes me to have a personality that does not match my contemporaries. The jokes and lingo of this modern era are wasted on me, and those “older” readers, will find this book not to their liking. But, for teens and adolescents this book will be great, minus the fact that the title characters superpowers leave much to be desired.

Our story follows Zan and Jayna, who recently moved to Metropolis, spending their days attending high school and dealing with the problems of youth. Zan wants to be popular, and Zayna just wants to get by. They’ve also joined the Justice League, much to the chagrin of everyone but Superman. The story is pretty straightforward. Villain appears, causes problems, Justic League tries to solve it, problem gets solved by the “Wonder Twins”. Felt very much like an old cartoon on Nickelodeon. In between it all, there were some good moments though. Hearing some stories of Batman and Superman’s youth, definitely humanized them a bit (I know Batman is). Also the “Thunderlust” joke is funny. Hopefully they continue with that throughout the series.

Overall though the book just didn’t resonate with me. It’s clearly targeted to a younger crowd and there’s no way around it. That book does a great job of accepting it though. It doesn’t get out of its comfort zone and the story ends in a pretty clean way. One issue though is, it ended. There was no cliffhanger or “to be continued” moment. It just ends. I’m not sure what the authors plans are, but it’s rare to see a mini-series have an issue just end. I’m not sure if I will continue reading this series, but if you have children or a teen in your home this book will definetly be just what they are looking for.

STORY 7 OUT OF 10

ART

Nothing much to say about the art in this one. Frankly, it’s what I expected. This is the type of art that is seen in most current comics today, especially those written for young people. Nothing really stands out, there wasn’t even really any action in this one. Can’t say something negative, but I can’t say anything positive either, so that’s a negative?

If I had to have one issue, it would be the designs of the other members of the Justic League. I know, I know, it’s for kids, so we need to have everyone look happy and approachable. But…..having a character such as Batman look intimidating is part of that characters design. This has somewhat to do with the story as well. We all know Batman is the dark and brooding hero of Gotham City. This Batman though, comes off as a nice guy, who’s having a bad day. Slightly different feel. He’s a small part of the story, but for me, a small level of consistency goes a long way in character development. This doesn’t take away from the story at all, but if I was writing a book for young readers, I would want to show them that some people are difficult to deal with. The world isn’t all “sunshine and rainbows”; toughen up kid. Having the characters reflect their personality from their own title books, helps to show kids the realities of their own world. But that’s just me.

ART 5 OUT OF 10

This was not a bad book. It just didn’t appeal to me. For some, especially kids, this book will be fun and you should feel fulfilled by the end of it. I worry though. Due to the weakness of the title characters superpowers, most wont read this book. I’m not sure what the author is going to do to keep everyone interested. But that is maybe what will keep people interested. What will the “Wonder Twins” do in a world where they power is on the lower end of the spectrum. You’ll just have to pick up the next issue and find out.

If you want to read this book or maybe check out something different, stop by Lahaina’s only comic book shop Game Over Comics, and browse this weeks selection. Peace.